Combined hose and skirt supporter and shoulder-brace.



No. 658,662. Patented Se t/25, I900.

' In. F. LOVING.

COMBINED HOSE AID SKIRT SUPPOBTER AN D SHOULDER BRACE.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.)

(lo Modal.)

Witnesses. fur 6712701 Jzworne y STATES i'rs MABEL F. LOVING, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

COMBINED HOSE AND SKIRT SUPPORTER AND SHOULDER-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,662, dated September 25, 1900.

Application filed April 9, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MABEL F. LOVING, a citizen of the United States, residing at St.Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Hose and Skirt Supporter and Shoulder-Brace; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a combined article of the kind hereinbefore stated especially adapted to the use of women and misses; and the objects sought to be attained are to provide a device that will, first, serve as a hosesupporter; second, as a skirt-supporter, and, third, as a shoulder and body brace.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a general view of my invention as it appears when on the person. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a triangle with supporting and shoulder straps and an upper looped strap and its slide attached. Fig. 3 illustrates snaps or clasps for engaging the hose as they may be connected with a looped tape. elastic tape in connection with a supportingstrapand with one of said looped tapes; and Fig. 5 is a perspective of the lower ends of the shoulder-straps attached to the support ing-straps and projected, constituting a loopstrap. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In my device, A is an upper strap made adjustable, so that it can be lengthened orshortened by the use of an ordinary slide and adapted to extend across the back between the shoulders. This strap is carried by two wire or other metal equilateral triangles B B, one end of said strap being sewed or otherwise permanently fastened around one side of one of said triangles, the other end working freely through the opposite triangle. Two supporting-straps O O, each having its upper end permanently fastened over the lower side of one of said triangles, extend down the back of the wearer to a line somewhat below the Fig. 4 is an Serial No. 12,124. (No model.)

hips. Attached by any convenient method to the lower ends of O O are elastic tapes D D. Buckles E E carry un elastic looped tapes F F, on the ends of each of which any convenient device may be fastened to grasp and hold the tops of the hose. Shoulder-straps H H, each having an end fastened to one of triangles B B, pass forward over the shoulders and down and around the sides to the back of the wearer until they form connection with straps O O on a line slightly below the waist. At this line they are permanently attached to said straps O O and have their ends turned horizontally toward each other, as shown in Fig. 1. One of said turned ends has fastened Within it an oblong link I, while the end of the other is brought across, forming a loop J through said link I and having a slide L at its end, thereby enabling this lower strap to be adjusted to the width of the back of the person using the device. On the outside of each of straps O O, on a line somewhat above the line of the waist, hooks K Kor other convenient device adapted to engage with eyes or other device on the bands of the skirts are attached.

It will be seen that straps O O are held by loop J at the back of the body until they reach the hips. As supporting-straps O C are thus held at the rear of the body until they reach the hips instead of being drawn around to the side or front of the body, the weight carried by them pulls only backward over the shoulders, my invention thus serving not only as a shoulder but as a body brace, holding the entire body in an erect posture, the elasticity of tapes D D, however, permitting the person to bend or stoop freely. It will also be seen that hooks K K, attached to supportingstraps O O and adapted to engage with eyes upon the skirts, serve to largely transfer the weight of the skirts from the lower part of the body to the shoulders, thereby securing relief from the uncomfortable and often injurious weight upon the waist and hips which occurs when the skirts are supported in the ordinary Way.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hose and skirt supporter and shoulder and body brace the combination with duplicate straps G G, of adjustable strap A, elastic tapes D D provided with hose connections, shoulder-straps H H extending down the front and diagonally around the sides of the person to connection with said straps C C at the back on a line below the waist, the ends of said straps forming adjustable loop J and adapted to be brought into connection across the back of the person at the hips, and the duplicate skirt supporting hooks K K attached to straps O C, the entire construction being adapted to hold the body of the wearer in an upright posture, substantially as described. V

2. In a combined hose and skirt supporter and brace the combination with the duplicate supporting straps of an adjustable strap adapted to connect said supporting-straps back of the shoulders, an adjustable loopstrap adapted to connect and retain said supporting-st raps back of the hips and the duplicate shoulder-straps extended downward in front and at the sides of the person forming connection with said supporting-straps back of the hips, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. In a combined hose and skirt supporter and brace the combination with the duplicate supporting straps of an adjustable strap adapted to connect and retain said supportingstraps back of the shoulders, an adjustable loop-strap adapted to connect and retain said supporting-straps back of the hips, and the duplicate shoulder-straps extended downward in front and at the sides of the person and forming connection With said supportingstraps back of the hips, the elastic tapes at the lowerends of said supporting-straps, provided with the necessary hooks, buckles, slides and hose connections, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MABEL F. LOVING.

Witnesses:

PHOEBE LOVING, ARTHUR L. LOVING. 

